New Year's Day Despacho Ceremony

By Mayo Lua de Frenchie

With the new year comes comes second chances, renewed senses of hope and a clean slate. Sally Moon hosts and leads her annual New Year's Day Despacho Ceremony to bolster the cleansing process. The Peruvian tradition passed from the Incas, is broken into three distinct parts. First the creation of the Despacho. For this component, participants should bring whole bay leaves, flowers and a dollar bill. Each contributor is blessed and pays honor to Pachamama by preparing the gift, filled with gratitude and prayers. Join in the second task with the break to feast. So bring a sharable dish for the occasion. The third and final stage of the ceremony is the the burning and burial of the Despacho. This part begins at 6pm and takes approximately two to three hours. While it is acceptable to leave prior to the fire ceremony, it is considered disrespectful to leave in the midst of the celebration. Women are asked to wear a skirt for the observance. This all takes place on Tuesday, Jan. 1 from 1 to 8pm at the Wild Moon Boutique in Old Town for free. Sow the seeds of intention and align with the highest destiny on the first day of the new year. Make sure to RSVP to wildmoonbiz@gmail.com.